Stallfinder Blog

Marvellous New Magazine for Mums launches in Watford, Cambridge, Harrogate and Dorset

2010-06-27T10:22:00.004+01:00

The UK’s only magazine for mumpreneurs, the Business Mum’s Journal, supported by Mothercare Plc, is launching new editions in Watford, Cambridge, Harrogate and Dorset in July 2010, meaning that mums in these areas can now join the nation’s growing army of mums in business.

Local mum Yvette Segal who already runs Plan-It Purple Virtual Assistance and Mum's Business Club in Borehamwood is really excited about the new project. “The Business Mum’s Journal is a fantastic magazine, which not only offers businesses the opportunity for low cost advertising, but is a great read too!”

The latest edition features Duncan Bannatyne as cover girl, but the magazine includes a number of really useful features. “My favourite article was the interview with business mum Laura Tenison, which included tips on how to get products stocked by big retailers,” says Yvette “but there are so many other useful tips, tricks and how-tos as well.”

The magazine was established as the Journal of online networking venue Mumsclub.co.uk, which was the brain child of Jane Hopkins, who wanted to start her own business but finding no tailored help and support, she decided to offer help to other mums herself. The magazine has grown massively over the last year, and is now expanding to include regional editions from all over the UK.

“We wanted to make the Journal accessible to as many people as possible, and with the support of Mothercare and a network of hard-working mums, we think we can do it” says Jane, “and in the process we are both supporting mums who want a work-from-home opportunity like this and providing an advertising venue for smaller businesses who cannot afford the higher cost of many retail publications.”

Yvette agrees “Running the Journal works really well alongside Plan-It Purple Virtual Assistance and Mum's Business Club and I am excited to be part of the team!”

The Business Mum’s Journal is a 32 page glossy A5 magazine that is distributed through Mothercare stores and local venues by local editors.

The Watford edition has its own website watford.businessmumsjournal.com and the local editor can be contacted on watford.businessmumsjournal.com. All other areas in the same format.

For national enquiries, please contact Sam Thewlis on sam@mumsclub.co.uk

The Cambridge Deco Fair is Back!

2010-05-24T07:55:00.001+01:00

East Anglian Deco Fairs are proud to announce the return of the popular Cambridge Deco Fair. Held on Sunday 20th June and Sunday 5th December, at Burgess Hall, Westwood Avenue, St Ives, Cambs PE27 6WU.

The fair sells the same good quality Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts and Retro 1950's-1970's, that visitors to their sister event, The Suffolk Deco Fair have come to expect. Open 10-4, adults 2.50.

Contact East Anglian Deco Fairs 01284 728159

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2009-12-24T18:45:00.003Z

We would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thanks for all your support and here's to a very successful 2010.

Gail & Shaun
Stallfinder

A New Green Pages Website For The Midlands

2009-12-16T10:41:00.005Z

A new green pages website for the Midlands region was launched recently. The Midlands Green Pages covers the counties of central England and enables the public to find green businesses in their local area, as well as information about living a green living.

The website provides a regional directory which lists environmentally friendly companies, organisations, services and products. From where to buy cloth nappies to finding information about woodland burial sites, green gifts and eco wedding services, all this and more can be found on the website. The Midlands Green Pages will also include the latest green news stories, local campaigns and will include details of local green events.

Website founder Kate Haines founder of the national eco website GreenFinder is based in Leamington Spa where she runs both websites from her dining room table. She said "Since setting up GreenFinder almost three years ago I've met a great many small business owners based in the midlands like myself who work from small shops, studios or home offices that provide great green services and products".

"Being a Midlander born and bred and being passionate about the 'shop local, shop green message' I thought it was the ideal time to set up a regional green directory. Every pound spent with a local supplier or business is worth £1.76 to the local economy yet only 36 pence if it is spent out of the area so it's really important for the economy of the Midlands that Midlanders support their local businesses".

To visit the new website please visit www.MidlandsGreenPages.co.uk

Featured Charity - St John Ambulance

2009-11-05T22:06:00.004Z

St John Ambulance Gloucestershire is the latest charity to be added to our Charity Feature section on Stallfinder. This charity makes a difference by ensuring that everyone who needs it should receive first aid from those around them and believes no one should suffer for the lack of trained first aiders.

SJA Gloucestershire equips people in the county of any age, culture and background with the necessary skills in first aid through the provision of top class training and assessment. This in turn gives the community of Gloucestershire trained first aiders whenever and wherever they are needed, be that at a public event whilst they are on duty, or in ones own home or work place.
To find out more about this charity and the others featured on Stallfinder please see http://www.stallfinder.com/charity-feature-c559.html

Team Altitude Charity Climb & Fundraising Christmas Shopping Evening

2009-10-26T15:58:00.007Z

An appeal from Deb Hunt of Team Attitude at Altitude

"Following my diagnosis of Breast Cancer on April Fools Day 2008, myself and 3 great friends have decided to drag our backsides up Mt Kilimanjaro to raise £20,000 for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. We are four ordinary mums, all forty something, all unfit with no trekking experience but all wanting to make a difference. We hope that our trek will raise awareness of breast cancer and the funds raised will help prevent other women from suffering the indignity of losing a breast or losing their hair through the treatment.

Our fundraising initiatives include a 2010 calendar of local business men, called Chaps for Baps! and a Christmas Shopping Evening to be held at The Holt Hotel Nr Steeple Aston OX25 5QQ on 25th November 2009. Information about our mission, the trek, our fund-raising and all the events we have organised can be found on our website www.twin-peaks.co.uk and you can follow us on Twitter, we are 4pinkbras.

We have called ourselves Team Attitude at Altitude. Please join us in our aim to be free of the fear of breast cancer for good by supporting either the calendar (it can be purchased on the website at £6.95 + p&p) or attending our Christmas Shopping evening where all the stall-holder fees will be donated to the charity".

Deb Hunt
Team Attitude at Altitude
+44 7527 229739

debs@twin-peaks.co.uk
http://www.twin-peaks.co.uk

Featured Stallholder - Nicki Cawood of Precious Parcels

2009-10-08T21:51:00.009+01:00

Our latest Featured Stallholder is Nicki Cawood from Thirsk who is the North Yorkshire representative for Precious Parcels.

Precious Parcels makes beautiful handcrafted plaques, gifts and items for the home. Mum of one Nicki juggles her new role with Precious Parcels with her other business, Mumsworld Events.

Our Featured Stallholder section on Stallfinder gives an insight into some of our stallholders and their businesses. To read more about Nicki and Precious Parcels please select this link.
http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

To find out more about Mumsworld Events and their forthcoming events see
http://www.mumsworldevents.co.uk/

One Step Beyond Workshop - Stratford Upon Avon

2009-10-08T19:43:00.005+01:00

A half-day coaching workshop is being held on Saturday 24th October in Warwickshire by Jude and Matthias who are highly qualified coaches and leaders. It’s about making life easy and fun and is aimed at people looking for more creativity at work or home.

The workshop will take place between 1pm – 5pm at the Charlecote Pheasant Hotel, Nr. Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire.

The afternoon costs £35 and spaces are limited so to reserve your place contact Jude via Jude@LeadersByNature.com

http://www.leadersbynature.com

New Book for Mums who want to Run a Business

2009-09-29T11:48:00.007+01:00

From the author of Family Friendly Working, The Mumpreneur Guide is a new practical workbook, ideal for any woman who wants to start a business that fits in with the family.

• If you are trying to make a tough decision about returning to work after having a baby…
• If having a second child made the cost of childcare outweigh what you earn…
• Or if you struggling hard to combine being there for your schoolchildren with your job…

Have you thought about starting your own business?

Mother & business advisor Antonia Chitty has put together a guide which is full of practical advice to help you start a business. This book is for you if you are short on time and resources, have to stop at 3 every day to collect the kids, or can only work when the baby naps.

Read to book to find out about:

• Getting a great business idea
• How to start a business
• Business planning and organization
• Business finance
• Finding customers
• Business on the web
• Looking after your life
• Taking your business to the next level

BUY TODAY & YOU GET MORE THAN £600 OF BONUSES:

BONUS 1: ACCESS TO THE MUMPRENEUR GUIDE’S SECRET BLOG: VALUE £300

When you buy the book, you also get a link to The Mumpreneur Guide’s Secret Blog. In this blog, I share extra advice and answer your questions.

BONUS 2: ONLINE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: VALUE £50

The Mumpreneur Guide Online Business Development Programme will give you confidential help and expert advice to develop your business. Trial this programme to see how it could help you.

BONUS 3: MORE ME TIME: VALUE PRICELESS

Every mumpreneur feels short of ‘me time’ at times. Bonus 4 will help you look after yourself. Follow your plan from Heather Bestel, psychotherapist, stress management consultant & founder of A Little Bit of Me Time to become Calm, Confident and In Control

BONUS 4: 3-PART MARKETING COURSE: VALUE £150

Your business is nothing without marketing. If you BUY TODAY you can also get a three part marketing course, created especially for The Mumpreneur Guide by Louisa Bird of The Women’s Marketing Forum.

BONUS 5: WIN A PLACE ON THE MUMS IN BIZ TRAINING COURSE

Everyone who buys the book TODAY will get a chance to win a place on one of Mums In Biz’s definitive ‘Start Your own Business’ Days.

Everyone who buys the book also gets access to The Mumpreneur Guide’s Secret Blog, which will be full of ongoing help and business advice. See http://www.themumpreneurguide.co.uk to buy the book and find out more.

Good Web Guide Feedback Needed

2009-09-29T10:14:00.007+01:00

Stallfinder has entered the Good Web Guide Website of the Year award. We'd really appreciate it if you'd send any nice comments/feedback to the judging panel at

http://thegoodwebguide.co.uk/awardfeedback

Many Thanks,

Gail

Stallfinder - http://www.stallfinder.com/

National Business Mum Week is coming to Leicester!

2009-09-22T15:59:00.005+01:00

This year sees the first ever Business Mum Week, a week of activities and meet ups across the UK. This week is dedicated to women who balance business with family life on a daily basis to ensure a better future for their families. Mum of one (and another on the way!) Zoe Newcombe, 33 of Leicester, is ensuring the mums of Leicester are included.

Connection Events will be hosting a Mums in Business networking event on Wednesday 7th October from 10am-12pm at David Lloyd Narborough, Carlton Park, Leicester LE19 0LF.

Zoe Newcombe, of Connection Events and organiser of Leicester Business Mum Week says: “Business Mum Week is a great initiative and I’m happy to do everything I can to unite the business mums of Leicester and ensure more local women with children are aware of the family friendly working options out there. This is a great way to both highlight the work of our mum owned businesses in and around Leicester and support the growth of more.”

The child-friendly event will include networking, fun for the children, refreshments, business profiles and demonstrations, a motivational guest speaker and fund raising for the Meningitis Trust. In addition to the Mums in Business event, attendees are entitled to free access and use of all the club facilities on the day. Tea and Coffee will be provided at the event and also jugs of cordial for the children.

For full details please contact Zoe at Connection Events 07973 168314

Paint A 'Zappy Pot' in aid of Starlight Children's Foundation

2009-09-05T23:00:00.006+01:00

One of our stallholders, Lynn Bingham from Zappy Designs, is holding evenings where you can learn to paint your own "Zappy" style pot in her new studio in Altrincham, Cheshire. These evenings will take place on the 4th Tuesday of every month with a percentage of all bookings being donated to Starlight Children's Foundation (registered charity).

The evening begins at 7.45pm. All materials needed are supplied with plenty of 1-2-1 from Lynn. These evenings are designed to be great fun with plenty of learning thrown in. The cost is £10 per person & includes a glass of wine & homemade nibbles. You can book individually, with a friend or book the evening for your own private party.

To contact Lynn and find out more please see her Stallfinder listing below

http://www.stallfinder.com/lynn-bingham-i5242.html

Mumpreneur Conference and Awards 2009

2009-09-02T20:29:00.007+01:00

The Mumpreneur Conference and Awards are being held on Saturday 3rd October 2009 to launch Business Mum Week 3rd - 10th October.

Held at City Inn, Brindley Place, Birmingham City Centre, The Mumpreneur Conference will include a number of seminars and workshops suitable for mums considering starting in business, right up to those who've been well established for years. There'll be a small exhibition, plenty of networking opportunities and lunch is included in the ticket price of £11.50.

It will be an all day event, from 10am - 4pm, ending in an Awards Ceremony. The awards are open to all business mums, and with six categories, there will be an award suitable for you and your business! The award categories are:- Best Start Up, Best Green Business, Best Direct Sales Rep, Best Franchisee, Best Online Business and The Inspirational Business Mum. It's quick and easy to enter, will not be based on turnover and power like some awards, and you can enter as many of the awards as you like!

Visit the website to submit your nomination. All the information can be found on the website http://www.mumpreneurconference.com/ where you can also purchase tickets and submit nominations.

Mums in Business September Event

2009-09-01T10:23:00.003+01:00

On Thursday 10th September 2009, Connection Events will be holding another of its ‘Mums in Business’ networking events. The event will take place at David Lloyd Narborough in Leicestershire and is aimed at both mums in business and those looking to start a business.

Founder Zoe Newcombe says "We are passionate in what we do and believe that in today’s market providing support to other businesses and to those around us are key to making a success. We build networks that support and link to each other to generate business and our vision is to create a network that supports Leicestershire based mums, businesses and children. Networking is about building relationships so its beneficial to attend and raise your business profile by becoming an established and regular networking member getting your face and business known; you never know when an opportunity may arise…

Don’t forget our events are child friendly, there will be plenty of room for your children to play and there will also be some toys and books etc to keep them entertained. In addition to the Mums in Business event you are entitled to FREE access and use of all the club facilities on the day. Tea and Coffee will be provided at the event and also jugs of cordial for the children.

Whether you are a mum in business or looking to start a business and need some help and inspiration we would be delighted for you to join us".

To receive further information and a booking form please email Zoe Newcombe zoe@connectionevents.co.uk

Featured Stallholder - Lisa Hicks & The Pookey Boutique

2009-08-16T19:39:00.004+01:00

Our latest Featured Stallholder is Lisa Hicks of The Pookey Boutique. Based in Staffordshire, mum of one Lisa aims to offer the most exclusive clothing and accessories for babies, toddlers, mums and even four-legged friends. The Pookey Boutique stocks individual designs sourced from all over the world and Lisa has also made her own brand of clothing to add to the ranges.

Our Featured Stallholder section on Stallfinder gives an insight into some of our stallholders and their businesses. To read more about Lisa and The Pookey Boutique please select this link.
http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

Avon Fairs - Monthly Craft Fairs in Bristol

2009-08-13T22:10:00.003+01:00

Avon Fairs are looking to set up a monthly craft fair starting in September 09. They would like to hear from any stallholders interested in holding a stall once a month, every month at a central venue in Bristol. National advertising is planned to draw stallholders and public from far and wide.

For further information please e-mail your details to fashonjewelery@googlemail.com

S.C.A.M.P.S looking for Fundraising Opportunities

2009-08-07T14:21:00.004+01:00

S.C.A.M.P.S., a not for profit organisation dedicated to the care & rehoming of stray dogs, are looking for events and other opportunities for fundraising. They have a fundraising & information stand and offer gifts for animal lovers, greetings cards, treats & dog supplies. They also run a doggie tombola and have a Mascot (Scamp the dog - costume character) who may be able to attend an event. All proceeds go to support the work of S.C.A.M.P.S.

Events, markets & shows in Hampshire & Dorset preferred.

To contact S.C.A.M.P.S see

http://www.stallfinder.com/carol-bolton-i6656.html

Venue Needed for Fundraising Event

2009-08-06T17:46:00.004+01:00

Street Kids Rescue are looking for a venue for a fundraising event in November/December. They need something which will hold approximately 100 people for a dinner and variety show so would therefore like somewhere with a stage or space to put a stage and space for circular dining tables. Ideally it would be in south London.

Street Kids Rescue was started in May 2008 and supports orphaned and abandoned children in Southeast Asia. They support 500 children with direct care and another 1000 children receive help through medical programs, feeding programs and child protection schemes. All the money donated goes directly to the cause, as the founder of the charity covers all administrative costs.

If you can help please email Street Kids Rescue alix@streetkidsrescue.org or call 020 8643 5670.

Coaching Cafe Launches in Warwickshire

2009-07-13T13:49:00.006+01:00

The Coaching Cafe launches on Fri 17th Jul 2009 in Warwick and a free coaching session plus refreshments is available. The Coaching Cafe concept has been developed by Leaders by Nature in response to a growing number of women who want to take control of their lives.

Facilitator and coach Jude Jennison, Founder of Leaders by Nature, is a highly qualified and experienced coach who has worked with people all around the world.

The inaugural meeting of the Coaching Cafe is on Fri 17th Jul 2009 at 10:30am - 12:00 noon in Warwick. This first meeting is provided free of charge. Tea/coffee and scones are also provided. It is expected that sessions will be held on a monthly basis thereafter.

Prior booking is essential as places are limited. Further details can be obtained by visiting http://www.leadersbynature.com/coaching-cafe/

Featured Stallholder - Balloonbaboon

2009-07-10T08:48:00.006+01:00

Our latest Featured Stallholder is Julie Hayward of Balloonbaboon. Based in Essex, Julie offers balloon flowers, animals, characters and other truly unique balloon deliveries nationwide. Balloonbaboon can bring examples to your workplace, event or home and take bookings for birthday, anniversary, new baby or any other special delivery.

Our Featured Stallholder section on Stallfinder gives an insight into some of our stallholders and their businesses. To read more about Julie and Balloonbaboon please select this link.

http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

Fundraising for Tommy's Let's Talk Baby Month

2009-07-09T11:30:00.004+01:00

To coincide with Tommy’s Charity’s ‘Let’s Talk Baby’ month, The Osteopathic Practice in Sheffield is offering an initial antenatal consultation and treatment during September for a minimum donation of £10, every penny of which will be passed on to Tommy's baby charity.

This consultation will seek to identify and treat some of the common problems associated with pregnancy including aches and pains, pelvic girdle pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, back, hip, leg and side pain and many more. Osteopathy is a drug-free, safe and effective form of treatment during pregnancy.

To find out more please contact Jude Eller of The Osteopathic Practice on 01142664786 or via email enquiries@theosteopathicpractice.com

Mums in Business Networking Event

2009-07-06T18:33:00.005+01:00

On Thursday 13th August 2009, Connection Events will be launching its ‘Mums in Business’ networking events. The launch event will take place at David Lloyd Narborough in Leicestershire and is aimed at both mums in business and those looking to start a business.

Connection Events hold and manage child friendly networking groups for Mums in Business as well as providing events for children. They build networks that support and link to each other to generate business and their vision is to create a network that supports Leicestershire based mums, businesses and children.

To receive further information and a booking form please email Zoe Newcombe zoe@connectionevents.co.uk

Swissball Classes for Breast Cancer Research

2009-07-01T20:21:00.004+01:00

If you live in the Dorset area you can get fit and raise money for Breast Cancer Research at the same time. During the month of July, Lynn Hill is offering Swissball classes (exercise with a gym ball) to new clients at Ferndown Village Hall, Dorset for a suggested donation of £4, all of which will be donated to the charity. Lynn's regular clients have already raised £75 as of June 1st 2009.

To find out more contact Lynn Lynnhill644@btinternet.com or 01202 893640.

Featured Charity - DEMAND

2009-06-25T14:07:00.005+01:00

DEMAND Design & Manufacture for Disability is the latest charity to be added to our Charity Feature section on Stallfinder. Based in Hertfordshire, with an additional branch in Yorkshire, DEMAND was established in 1980 to create bespoke items of equipment for children and adults with disabilities. DEMAND is an independent charity that doesn't charge for its services. It aims to help all disabled people, no matter what their circumstances or ability to pay.

To find out more about this charity and the others featured on Stallfinder please see http://www.stallfinder.com/charity-feature-c559.html

Coochie Cou Baby Fairs

2009-06-05T13:03:00.005+01:00

One of our stallholders Caroline Parker, an Usborne Books representative who also runs the Dales Party Company/Partysprite, has launched a new business organising baby fairs in North Yorkshire. The first Coochie Cou Baby Fair will be held at the Golden Lion Hotel in Northallerton on the 28th November and Caroline is looking for a variety of baby and toddler related businesses to exhibit at the fair.

To find out more please contact Caroline Parker - full website and contact details can be viewed here http://www.stallfinder.com/coochie-cou-baby-fair-northallerton-i5713.html

My Secret Kitchen joins Stallfinder Partner Programme

2009-06-02T14:31:00.005+01:00

Stallfinder is delighted to announce the latest addition to the Stallfinder Partner Programme. Launched in 2008, My Secret Kitchen is the UK’s first nationwide food and drink tasting company. If you're a My Secret Kitchen consultant, you'll now benefit from the special offer available to all the My Secret Kitchen team for advertising your independent business on Stallfinder.

You can find out more about My Secret Kitchen and view their Partner Page on Stallfinder here

http://www.stallfinder.com/partner-my-secret-kitchen-c794.html

Linen at Home joins Stallfinder Partner Programme

2009-05-19T10:24:00.005+01:00

Stallfinder is delighted to announce that Linen at Home is the latest Direct Sales Company to join the Stallfinder Partner Programme. Our Partners benefit from a dedicated Partner page where they can give a detailed description of their products and services and also explain the business opportunity they offer. Linen at Home are a new and exciting home linen company and we already have two representatives listed on Stallfinder http://www.stallfinder.com/linen-at-home-c779.html They are already benefitting from a special extended listing period which Stallfinder offers to Partner Programme listees.

Linen at Home's Partner Page can be viewed here http://www.stallfinder.com/partner-linen-at-home-c788.html

If your company is interested in joining our Partner Programme, please drop us a line to info@stallfinder.com.

Featured Stallholder - Lily-Rose Designs

2009-05-17T17:41:00.005+01:00

Our latest Featured Stallholder is Nanette Foulkes of Lily-Rose Designs. Based in Northamptonshire, Lily-Rose Designs is a website business offering handmade personalised gifts to customers throughout the world. Nanette named her company after her daughter and she designs and makes affordable gifts for every happy event including births, weddings, birthdays, hen parties, baby showers and christenings.

Our Featured Stallholder section on Stallfinder gives an insight into some of our stallholders and their businesses. To read more about Nanette and Lily-Rose Designs please select the link below
http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

Featured Charity - Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal

2009-05-07T10:02:00.004+01:00

The Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal was launched to replace the Cookridge Cancer Appeal and help support the world-class St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds.

YCC is aiming to raise £10 million by 2010 to make this facility in Leeds a world class force in the fight against cancer.

To find out more about the appeal or to get involved, visit the Charity Feature page on Stallfinder.com

http://www.stallfinder.com/charity-feature-c559.html

Suzanne's Driving Challenge

2009-04-24T16:15:00.006+01:00

One of Stallfinder's Twitter followers, Suzanne Sutton will be taking part in the Ladies Driving Challenge on the 17th May at Hullavington Airfield, near Chippenham, Wilts. Her challenge will be to drive as many different vehicles as possible, including Tanks, 4x4's and maybe even a Ferrari! Suzanne is hoping to raise at least £200 for The Fire Fighters Charity which assists over 11,000 individuals every year, by providing pioneering treatment and support services.

To find out more and help Suzanne to raise as much money as possible for this worthy cause, please visit her fundraising page at http://www.justgiving.com/suzydrive

Fundraising Fun in Leeds

2009-04-24T14:35:00.006+01:00

The Red Devils Parachute regiment will be dropping in at the Yorkshire Cancer Centre's Gala Day at Roundhay Park, Leeds on the 30th May. Thousands of visitors are expected throughout the day and other attractions include a Battle Enactment, Children’s Funfair, Police Dog Display, West Yorkshire Fire Brigade Road Show and UK Garrison Storm Troopers.

To find out more about this event see http://www.stallfinder.com/ycc-appeal-gala-day-2009-i5086.html

Featured Stallholder - Swings and Pretty Things

2009-04-22T11:46:00.005+01:00

Our latest Featured Stallholder is Jayne Bradshaw of Swings and Pretty Things. Jayne has 2 children, 2 Basset Hounds and is based in Coalville, Leicestershire. Swings and Pretty Things stock a range of Garden & Outdoor living products including carved oak swings, Pocket Gardens, handmade sunflower soap, recycled horse tyre swings and Burgon & Ball products. Jayne offers a free gift wrap service and her website is an excellent place to find lots of unusual gift ideas.

Our Featured Stallholder section on Stallfinder gives an insight into some of our stallholders and their businesses. To read more about Jayne please select the link below

http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

Jessica's Trust

2009-04-19T19:02:00.005+01:00

Jessica's Trust is the latest charity to be added to our Charity Feature section on Stallfinder.

The charity was setup by Ben Palmer after his wife Jessica died in June 2004, at 34 years old, of childbed fever caused by Group A streptococcus, six days after the uncomplicated birth of her second child. Childbed fever is an infection of the womb in new mothers which can lead to septicaemia.

Jessica's Trust would like as many people as possible to sign their Maternal Health Petition to the Prime Minister to ensure that every new mother has regular observations recorded on a Modified Early Obstetric Warning System (MEOWS) chart in hospital and in the community and is given clear information and advice on the recognition of childbed fever (also known as puerperal fever and genital tract sepsis) and that doctors and midwives are given clear sepsis guidelines.

You can sign the petition here http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/maternalhealth/

To find out more about Jessica's Trust please visit http://www.jessicastrust.org.uk/

You can also read about Jessica's Trust and other charities in our Charity Feature section on Stallfinder http://www.stallfinder.com/charity-feature-c559.html

Friends of Stallfinder News

2009-03-28T17:25:00.003Z

We have been delighted by the response to our Friends of Stallfinder programme since its launch in November. We now have 20 Friends scattered all over the country, helping us to promote www.stallfinder.com.

To help raise the profile of Stallfinder stallholders who have joined the Friends programme, we have revamped the Friends of Stallfinder page on the site to show all the Friends' adverts, including some special highlighted ones.

www.stallfinder.com/friends-of-stallfinder-c755.html

We've also added a map to show how well they are spread around the UK.

www.stallfinder.com/friends-of-stallfinder-map-c777.html

By using Google MyMaps for this, Friends of Stallfinder can now be found by users of Google Maps and we hope this will provide a further boost to their businesses.

Friends of Stallfinder is a programme which allows our stallholders to earn free advertising in return for promoting the site to their friends and colleagues and at events they attend. If you are a Stallfinder stallholder and would like to join the programme, please contact us on info@stallfinder.com.

Everyclick for Fundraising

2009-03-22T21:03:00.005Z

Stallfinder has added Everyclick into our section on Fundraising.

Everyclick is a one-stop fundraising website which features over 200,000 registered UK charities. It is free to use for both fundraisers and charities and means that even the smallest charity has a means to collect donations and fundraising online.

There are six ways you can fundraise with Everyclick:

Search the web – Everyclick is a search engine, powered by Ask.com, which gives 50% of its revenue to charity

Create an appeal – fundraisers can set up a fundraising page and collect sponsorship for their chosen charity.

Make a donation – you can donate to any of 200,000 UK charities by debit or credit card using Everyclick’s secure payment system.

Send greetings – in exchange for a donation to the charity of your choice (or the recipient’s choice) you can send greetings cards.

Send eVouchers as a gift – buy an eVoucher and the recipient can then choose the charity they would like the donation to go to.

Go shopping – shop online and a percentage of your purchases goes to charity.

Charities receive their own homepage URL which their supporters will see – they can customise their homepage with images and text. Charities can also add details and news stories to their information pages.

There are several tools and widgets for both fundraisers and charities to encourage people to help them raise money across the web.

To learn more about Everyclick, visit www.everyclick.com

Action for Children

2009-03-18T16:55:00.006Z

Action for Children are the latest charity to add their details to our Charity Feature section on Stallfinder.

Action for Children helps nearly 170,000 children, young people and their families through nearly 450 projects across the UK. Their aim is to help the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people achieve their full potential. They also promote social justice by lobbying and campaigning for change.

You can find out more about Action for Children and the other charities featured on Stallfinder here http://www.stallfinder.com/charity-feature-c559.html

Featured Stallholder - In the Bag Designs

2009-03-02T17:29:00.006Z

Our latest Featured Stallholder is June Bradbury of In the Bag Designs. June, from Newhaven in East Sussex, sells hand-painted jute bags with her own designs ranging from greyhounds to goats and pigs to puffins. Each bag is hand printed individually so they're both colourful and unique. June started her business by designing and making bags for family and friends and is currently running her business whilst also studying for a degree at university.

Our Featured Stallholder section on Stallfinder gives an insight into some of our stallholders and their businesses. To read more about June please select the link below.
http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

CLIC Sargent

2009-02-11T12:57:00.005Z

CLIC Sargent, the UK’s children’s cancer charity have been added to our Charity Feature Section. In this section of Stallfinder, charities give an overview of their organisation and current work. We're looking for new charities to feature so if you would like to be included please contact Gail at gail@stallfinder.com

To read more about CLIC Sargent and our other featured charities please visit http://www.stallfinder.com/charity-feature-c559.html

Stallholder Listing Renewals

2009-01-21T11:00:00.003Z

If you have a stallholder business listing on Stallfinder which is due to expire shortly you should have received an automatic renewal notification via email. If you want to renew your listing for 12 months you will need to click on the following link and follow the instructions. Alternatively, the Renew Your Listing option is now available on the left hand side of our homepage.

http://www.stallfinder.com/listing-expiring-renew-here-c769.html

If you have any questions please contact us at info@stallfinder.com

Featured Stallholder - Ann Williams-Maughan

2009-01-19T19:42:00.007Z

Our latest Featured Stallholder is Ann Williams-Maughan from Bishops Auckland, County Durham. Ann runs Education Takeaway which provides learning resources to parents of primary school children. She is also an Independent Phoenix Trader.

Our Featured Stallholder section on Stallfinder gives an insight into some of our stallholders and their businesses. To read more about Ann please select the link below.

http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

Stallfinder & School Together Now.com

2009-01-02T11:36:00.004Z

Many thanks to Esther at School Together Now.com for promoting Stallfinder on her site. We've added School Together Now to our Useful Websites section:

http://www.stallfinder.com/useful-websites-c673.html

As seen on BBC Breakfast, School Together Now.com is a free social website aimed at school children and their parents. It aims to unite the local community surrounding our schools whilst revolutionising the way education is funded in Britain. Parents and children are grouped by the school they attend and can send and receive messages, play fun online games and chat in the forum. For the parents there's also a Job Board and Classified Ads directory where they can source local products and services. Schools benefit as 20% of the advertising revenue from these Classified Ads is donated back into the school fundraising pot. The website is very safe and child security is the number one priority. In addition the scheme has been designed to run with no administration burden on the schools or the PTA. For more information please visit http://www.schooltogethernow.com/ or email esther.guy@schooltogethernow.com.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T11:26:00.003Z

Gail and Shaun would like to wish all our members and visitors to Stallfinder a very happy New Year. Hope you have a very enjoyable and prosperous 2009.

PayPal Payments Now Accepted on Stallfinder

2008-12-12T11:55:00.002Z

From today, anyone wishing to advertise on Stallfinder will be able to pay using PayPal. The bank which handles all our credit and debit card transactions, WorldPay, have enabled PayPal transactions as part of the payment process.

We hope you find this useful as many people are still concerned about using their personal credit or debit cards online.

Third Sector Forums - new online community

2008-12-07T19:47:00.006Z

Third Sector Forums is a friendly online community for UK charity professionals, volunteers and social entrepreneurs. The forums are a place for people to network, learn, debate and discuss third sector issues. Categories include funding, fundraising, governance, legal issues, internet, marketing, campaigns, social enterprise and more. While the forums are third sector focused, private and public professionals are welcome too. The forums are 100% free to use and run by volunteers.
The forums were founded by Ross McCulloch who has a background in education, community planning, has run his own business and is now developing a partnership between three Lanarkshire charities. Ross also volunteers for Scottish Community Foundation and sits on the Big Lottery Fund's Fair Share Scotland Panel. More recently, Ross has started writing a third sector blog for the Sunday Mail .

http://www.thirdsectorforums.co.uk/

Friends of Stallfinder Earn Free Advertising

2008-11-21T18:53:00.000Z

Are you a Stallfinder stallholder? Do you want to qualify for free extra advertising time on Stallfinder?

By becoming a Friend of Stallfinder, you can earn up to a year of free advertising just by recommending us to your stallholder friends. Plus there are other benefits too, worth as much as £45 a year. Anyone with a stallholder business listing on Stallfinder can become a Friend of Stallfinder and it's absolutely free.

Many of our stallholders have been recommending Stallfinder already so this is just a way to thank them for their efforts and encourage others to do the same.

To take advantage of this offer, simply e-mail info@stallfinder.com and let us know you want to become a Friend of Stallfinder. To learn more, visit www.stallfinder.com/friends-of-stallfinder-c755.html.

New Premium Listings on Stallfinder.com

2008-11-13T20:13:00.000Z

Need to give your business that extra boost in the run up to Christmas? Did you know that a Premium Listing service is available on http://www.stallfinder.com/?

We have introduced the service at the request of some of our listees. If you have a Stallfinder listing, you can now pay for that listing to appear on the sidebar of the site's homepage.

Until 31st December, the cost for a Premium Listing is only £10 per month, or £25 for 3 months. We expect to limit the number of people in the Premium Listing area to a maximum of 10, so it's first come, first served if you want your advert to have pride of place on the site.

You will shortly be able to pay to give your Stallfinder listing Premium status via WorldPay, but if you'd like to guarantee a spot on in the Premium Listing area, please get in touch to info@stallfinder.com and we can accept payment by cheque or direct bank transfer.

Noodle Jewellery Joins Stallfinder Partner Programme

2008-11-08T19:26:00.000Z

Stallfinder is delighted to announce that Noodle Jewellery is the latest Direct Sales Company to join the Stallfinder Partner Programme. Partners benefit from a dedicated Partner page where they can give a detailed description of their products and services and they can also explain the business opportunity they offer.

Noodle is a young and exciting jewellery company and we already have two "Noodlers" on www.stallfinder.com. They are already benefitting from the special extended listing period which Stallfinder offers to Partner Programme listees.

If you are interested in your company joining our Partner Programme, please drop us a line to info@stallfinder.com.

Griffin Designs

2008-11-07T15:27:00.000Z

Stallfinder was recently contacted by Griffin Designs to help them to promote their products to event organisers. Karen at Griffin Designs came across Stallfinder through our friends at Giant Potential. Griffin Designs' products are perfect for the sort of event organisers who use Stallfinder as a resource, but a normal stallholder listing wasn't quite what was needed to help them to grow their business.

We worked with Karen to establish the best spot on http://www.stallfinder.com/ for her advertisement to attract the attention of event organisers who visit the site. We also created a banner ad based on her own logo, font and colour scheme.

To find out more about the re-usable, re-designable advertising banners available from Griffin Designs, go to www.griffindesigns.co.uk/banners or call Karen on 01243 528384.

Featured Stallholder - Caroline Parker

2008-11-07T14:34:00.001Z

Caroline Parker of The Dales Party Company (incorporating Party Sprite and Cari's Giftshop) is our Featured Stallholder.

This is a new regular feature on Stallfinder, designed to give our stallholders an opportunity to promote their business.

For more details visit http://www.stallfinder.com/featured-stallholder-c750.html

Is Blogging Dead?

2008-10-23T17:34:00.000+01:00

In dot.life - a blog about technology from BBC News, Rory Cellan-Jones, the BBC's technology correspondent ponders the future of blogging in the wake of the likes of Twitter, Flickr and Facebook. A recent Wired article suggested that blogs now look "so 2004".
To read in full visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/10/is_blogging_dead.html

“Kids Back to School, Mums Back to Business” - competition from MumsClub

2008-10-20T19:36:00.000+01:00

The closing date for the following MumsClub competition is on November 1st.

"Congratulations on Finding the UK’s search for the most creative New Business idea for a mum!The competition is aimed at anyone who fancies winning the prizes – women, mums or business mums – it is simply a competition to win great prizes.

Have you always wondered about starting your own business working from home? Do you think you have an original, creative, or unique idea for a business? Enter the MumsClub competition to see if you will be voted most creative/unique business idea by mums already in business working from home.

PLUS! Our thanks go to entrepreneur Peter Jones who has donated our special prize for an established Mumpreneur to demonstrate how she intends to expand her business over the next 5 years.

If our panel of judges choose your idea, you’ll have access to top prizes to help make your business a success, as well as great prizes for your family, all supplied by Mum’s currently running business from home, and are MumsClub members.

We hope that as well as coming up with what could be the UK’s most creative new business idea, you’ll be inspired and encouraged to go for it yourself, if of course, you haven’t already!
You can enter as many ideas as you like, all that we receive will form part of a new section on our website to provide further inspiration and ideas for future visitors to the site so if you want a personal mention or credit for the idea then be sure to give us your website address for a link back.

All entrants must supply their creative idea for a new business, it can be a single line, or one sentence but in no more than 300 words. If you need any inspiration for your entry simply take a look at our marketplace and our forums to see what mumpreneurs are already doing...see if you can do better!

Good luck and we hope you’ll have fun, both with this competition, and the prizes!
Download the entry form from our prizes page! The closing date for all applications is November 1st 2008. Winners will be announced December 1st 2008".

Full details at http://www.mumsclub.co.uk/html/competition.html

Good Luck Alison!

2008-10-20T11:27:00.000+01:00

Alison Rothwell of Arabella Miller appeared on This Morning's Mumpreneur competitition earlier this morning. She gave a great pitch to Fern and Phil about her organic clothes for kids business. She now urgently needs votes - lines close at midday today.

The number to call to vote for Alison is 09016 16 13 03

Update

Sadly Alison missed out on this occasion but I'm sure there'll be plenty more success to come.

Beadifferent Joins Stallfinder Partner Programme

2008-10-13T19:21:00.000+01:00

Stallfinder is delighted to announce the latest addition to the Stallfinder Partner Programme. Beadifferent is a young party plan company based in Eastbourne, specialising in gorgeous jewellery for all occasions. If you are a Beadifferent Party Planner or are thinking of becoming one, you'll now benefit from the special offer available to all the Beadifferent team for advertising your independent business on Stallfinder.

The Beadifferent Partner Page on Stallfinder can be viewed here

http://www.stallfinder.com/beadifferent-c744.html

Small Business Week 2008

2008-10-13T12:12:00.000+01:00

Just spotted the following information about Small Business Week 2008

Helping UK businesses compete and thrive

During the week of October 13, 2008, a range of government, business and independent organisations will come together to celebrate the country's 4.6 million small businesses.As part of the week, a wealth of resources and advice will be available to help businesses make the most of opportunities available to them and their staff.Helping UK businesses compete and thrive
During the week of October 13, 2008, a range of government, business and independent organisations will come together to celebrate the country's 4.6 million small businesses.As part of the week, a wealth of resources and advice will be available to help businesses make the most of opportunities available to them and their staff.

Small Business Week promises to be a dynamic and eventful week, bringing together businesses, government agencies and advice organisations in a wide range of events and discussions in locations across the UK.The week will debate the issues that affect the small business community and seek to develop ways to support its long-term success. It will also provide businesses with access to invaluable resources and advice specifically designed to help them compete and thrive.

For more details visit http://www.sbw08.co.uk/

Website Grader

2008-10-13T11:13:00.000+01:00

If you haven't yet discovered Hubsite's Website Grader to evaluate your website, have a go as the report makes interesting reading. The link to Website Grader to evaluate your own site is

http://www.websitegrader.com/

Stallfinder got a score of 83 - our report can be seen here.

http://www.websitegrader.com/wsgid/1649760/default.aspx

According to the results we're in the top 4.81% of all websites for traffic. We have a few areas to work on but we're pretty pleased with our score so far.

Stallfinder in Giant Potential Shop Window

2008-10-10T19:30:00.000+01:00

Stallfinder is currently being featured in the Giant Potential Shop Window.

Giant Potential is a Women in Business Chat Forum described by owner Roberta Jerram an "an online community of like-minded, down-to-earth women running our own businesses to achieve a better work-life balance".

To view Stallfinder on Giant Potential visit http://giantpotential.ning.com/

In The News: Stallfinder Featured on EnterpriseQuest.com

2008-10-05T11:13:00.000+01:00

Pitch-finding website for small traders

Small traders that rely on fairs, outdoor markets, and festivals will find Stallfinder useful for identifying events at which they can market their wares. The site is ideal for businesses involved in food, antiques, crafts, clothing, jewellery and handmade toys.

To read more on EnterpriseQuest, go to www.enterprisequest.com.

Chocolates for Chocoholics Joins Partner Programme

2008-10-02T14:17:00.000+01:00

Stallfinder is pleased to announce another company which has joined the Stallfinder Partner Programme.

Chocolates for Chocoholics was founded in 1986 by Roger & Liz Cossey importing and selling quality chocolates. The first Chocolate Parties they did were based on traditional Party Plan concepts but they rapidly evolved into their current system of supplying chocolates and gifts to self employed Distributors. These are entrepreneurs who run their own business buying, marketing and selling the Chocolates for Chocoholics range of products.

From today, if you are a Distributor for Chocolates for Chocoholics, you will benefit from a beneficial advertising rate. We look forward to adding lots of you to our extensive directory of stallholders in the near future.

Coming soon - Stallholder Feature

2008-09-29T21:50:00.001+01:00

We will be featuring one of our stallholders who has an interesting story to tell about their business, how they got started, what advice they'd give anyone else looking to start their own business etc. This will be a regular feature and will give you the chance to promote yourself, and your business in more detail. If you would like the chance to be featured, please contact Gail gail@stallfinder.com.

Welsh County Lists Updated

2008-09-16T20:12:00.000+01:00

Thanks to everyone who pointed out that our county list for Wales was out of date. We've made the following changes:

Added: Monmouthshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Anglesey, Pembrokeshire, South Wales*

* We could have added each of the South Wales cities and county boroughs separately, but decided it was probably better to group them under "South Wales" so that Stallholders and Events would be more easily found.

Removed: Cardiff, Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Glamorgan (Mid, South, and West)We hope this makes navigating by county in Wales much easier to use and welcome any feedback.

New Partnership with Greenfinder

2008-09-14T20:52:00.000+01:00

We recently received a business listing from Greenfinder. Greenfinder is a directory of businesses with strong eco-credentials, and also an events diary for green events nationwide. As we're both Warwickshire based "finder" websites, we've agreed to work together to benefit members of both our sites.

If you have already listed your green business on Stallfinder, you are now eligible for a discount of 10% on your business listing at Greenfinder. To find out more, please visit our Partners or Special Offers pages.

Facebook and StumbleUpon

2008-09-14T20:47:00.001+01:00

The biggest challenge any new website faces is trying to get lots of visitors to come to the site. Stallfinder has grown steadily every single month, in terms of visitors, page views, events and listings and we want to keep things moving in the right direction. The more people who come to the site, the more successful your businesses and events will become. To help achieve this, we're using as many of the networking sites as possible on the internet and we'd urge you to support this. Two ways you can do so are:

1. Facebook - Come and visit the Stallfinder Facebook page and become a fan

http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Stallfinder/21536403742

or come and join the Stallfinder Group

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16239943123

2. StumbleUpon - This is a really great way to find sites on the internet that you'll love but you never knew existed. Also, if you give the thumbs up to a site you like using StumbleUpon, lots of other Stumblers will get to know about that site. So please, Stumble Stallfinder!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

Mumpreneur Semi-Finalist on Stallfinder

2008-09-14T20:40:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Alison Rothwell of Arabella Miller who has made it into the Semi-Finals of This Morning's Mumpreneur competition. Alison and her company have been working with us since shortly after she launched her agent programme in April and we're delighted she's doing so well. You can read more about the competition on the ITV website...
http://www.itv.com/Lifestyle/ThisMorning/features/Mumpreneur001/Manchester012/default.html

Hundreds of New Events Added

2008-09-14T20:39:00.000+01:00

We've been working really hard throughout the Summer to add more events to our database. As of today, there are now 480 events on Stallfinder and many of the new events we've added are for 2009 so you should be able to contact the event organisers early and hopefully book a space.

Even so, we're still looking to add more events, especially outside of England. In spite of a big effort, we still need lots more events in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so please spread the word that events can be added to Stallfinder free of charge.

Stallfinder on The Start Line

2008-09-14T20:33:00.000+01:00

Stallfinder has been included in The Start Line, a new initiative by Business Zone aimed at showcasing the UK's newest entrepreneurial talent.

"BusinessZone.co.uk is always keen to support new entrepreneurial talent which is why we've launched The Start Line. This regularly updated section profiles the UK's newest and most exciting businesses"

http://www.businesszone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=187774

Partnerships Extended with Miglio, Barefoot Books, Captain Tortue

2008-07-31T21:46:00.002+01:00

We're delighted to say that our partnerships with Miglio, Barefoot Books and Captain Tortue will be continuing. During our launch, these companies were kind enough to promote us to their members and those members benefitted from some special offers. If you are thinking of joining Stallfinder and you represent one of these companies, you will now benefit from our ongoing special offers. Head Office at each of these companies has details of our agreements, but as long as you mention them in your sign-up process, we'll make sure you get the benefit of these offers.

If the company you represent isn't one of these four, but you think partnering with Stallfinder would be a good idea, please contact us and we'll be happy to explore ideas.Stallfinder can help Direct Sales Companies in many ways by:

Providing low-cost advertising for representatives, agents, consultants etc
Helping with special promotions
Providing an excellent shop-window for recruitment drives
Raising awareness of the company and the brand

If you'd like to talk to us about advertising or special promotions, please contact Shaun on shaun@stallfinder.com.

Testimonials

2008-07-14T21:49:00.000+01:00

We've had some great feedback from stallholders and event organisers so we've added a Testimonials page. If you would like to add your comments please contact Gail via gail@stallfinder.com.

Useful Websites Updated

2008-07-11T21:50:00.000+01:00

We have added a few new sites to our Useful Websites section. Please take a look at what they have to offer you in terms of growing and running your small business and working from home. This is not just a traditional "Links" page where we swap links with people for the sake of it. We want all the sites in this section of Stallfinder to be genuinely useful to our visitors.

Payment System Goes Live

2008-06-26T21:55:00.000+01:00

Any of you who've added a listing or event to Stallfinder so far will have done so free-of-charge. Events are, and will remain, free to add as we hope to encourage event organisers to promote their events with us and make the Stallfinder Events Diary THE place on the net for stallholders to find stalls. From today, anyone wishing to add a stallholder business listing will be asked to pay £10 a year - a price which we hope you'll agree represents exceptional value.

We are using WorldPay to process the transactions. They can accept pretty much any credit or debit card commonly used in the UK and process the transaction with your card company on our behalf. The transaction is safe and secure and in the near future, they will also be implementing the "Verified by Visa" and MasterCard "SecureCode" systems to further enhance security.

We've tested the system thoroughly and are confident that it should be easy to use, robust and reliable, but we'd be very grateful if you'd drop us a quick line to info@stallfinder.com to let us know how the transaction process went. In this way, any problems can be ironed out as quickly as possible.

If you're unhappy about using your credit or debit card over the internet, please get in touch and we'll arrange to take your payment by alternative means.

Pace Walk for Marie Curie Cancer Care - Update

2008-06-20T21:56:00.000+01:00

Well, I managed to complete the walk on Saturday, although it turned out to be nearer 28 miles than 25. We started from Leek at 7.20 in the morning and the first group came in around 6.30 that evening. 20 people managed the entire walk, one was lost to an ankle injury and 5 others were just plain lost. They actually got home first having missed out a chunk on the walk, but we forgave them.

We're still waiting for the totals to come in and I'll update the blog with the final number later. I'm just pleased to have managed the walk with only one minor blister and the usual aches and pains. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far, and if you haven't, it's not too late.

http://www.justgiving.com/pacewalk2008

The picture on the left shows me gasping for breath climbing a particularly steep slope at about 11am. If you know the area, this is just south of the A54, near the famous Cat & Fiddle pub west of Buxton.

PartiCraft Page Goes Live

2008-06-04T22:08:00.000+01:00

As promised, we now have a dedicated page for PartiCraft, the brand new crafts party plan business which launched in February 08. PartiCraft provides training to new demonstrators on how to start and run their business, no matter whether you are an arts and crafts novice or an expert. Stallfinder is delighted to welcome Lois and her team to Stallfinder and we hope to be able to provide details of a PartiCraft demonstrator in all areas of the UK before much longer.

Pace Walk for Marie Curie Cancer Care - taking place 14th June 2008

2008-06-04T22:02:00.000+01:00

Pace Microtechnology are one of Britain's biggest electronics companies and for the past 9 years, their employees and suppliers have taken part in a charity walk to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, raising around £200,000 in the process. As part of my day-job, I have been one of those suppliers and have done 4 of these walks, covering well over 100 miles and raising over £5000 myself. For those of you who don't know me, I'm the guy in the green shirt, leaning on the trig point (top of Great Malvern).

This year, the walk will be about 25 miles on 14th June around the Peak District. If you are feeling charitable and would like to sponsor me, please visit the Justgiving website for the walk and give generously!

http://www.justgiving.com/pacewalk2008

Many thanks in advance for your support

Publicity

2008-05-28T22:15:00.000+01:00

Those of you living within the Warwickshire area may have spotted a news item on Stallfinder on page 3 of this month's Business Focus included with the Courier. We are also appearing in several charity newsletters and bulletins and hope to receive more press coverage soon. If you would like to help promote Stallfinder by adding a link to our site or by using one of our news items or press releases please contact us at info@stallfinder.com

New Companies Working with Stallfinder

2008-05-28T22:11:00.000+01:00

As well as our Launch Partners, we have been actively working to promote Stallfinder to a wider audience so that event organisers visiting our site will benefit from a broader choice of local stallholders in their area. Also, as new stallholders come on board, we hope they will add to our events database. In that way they can promote their event to a wider audience, increase its chances of success for both themselves and the organisers and share the success of the event with other stallholders on the site.

This week, we'd like to welcome representatives of Magic Fairy Wings and Particraft.

Magic Fairy Wings have a great range of baby products and children's toys available through their growing network of consultants nationwide. Thanks to Debbie and Alison at MFW - we really look forward to seeing more of their team on the site soon.

We only learned about Particraft in the last couple of weeks from one of our members who sells their arts and crafts products. We'll be uploading a new page dedicated to Particraft demonstators in the next few days and hope to have a fair few of their nationwide team join us.

If you represent a direct sales company that we haven't built a page for, or you know of one, please contact us. You'll find them all listed under Find Stallholders by Direct Sales Company. The more of these companies we know of, no matter how big or small, the better the service Stallfinder will be able to offer to event organisers and that means a more successful site for all our members.

Ideas & Suggestions

2008-05-15T22:22:00.000+01:00

We welcome all ideas and suggestions which will help us to update and improve Stallfinder and make it as useful to you as possible. We've already had some good ideas and great feedback - please keep it coming!

News

2008-05-15T22:19:00.000+01:00

If you have any relevant news or articles of interest to the community here at Stallfinder, please contact us via info@stallfinder.com and we may include them on the site.

Charity Feature

2008-05-15T22:18:00.000+01:00

We will be using this section of the website to promote individual charities, some less well-known than others. If you are involved with a charity who would like to be included in this section please contact Gail at gail@stallfinder.com

Events

2008-05-15T22:17:00.001+01:00

We are now getting lots more events onto the site, which is fantastic news for everyone who uses Stallfinder. At the last count we had well over 250 with more being added daily. If you're an event organiser and you have a list of events you'd like to add, please get in touch as we can add multiple events to the diary much more easily than you can from the normal website interface. All we ask is that you add the first event yourself so you have an account which we can tie subsequent events to. This means that you can go in and edit any of the events through that account once we've added the rest of them for you. If you find there aren't many events in your county or nearby, please contact us and we'll make a big effort to try to attract more for you. REMEMBER! It's FREE to add as many events as you like. Please spread the word as some people can't believe we're doing this for free. We are, and we're going to keep it that way. We're particularly keen to see more events from Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

Share Your Stallfinder Experience

2008-05-15T22:17:00.000+01:00

If you have placed a business listing with us, you will be contacted shortly before the end of your free listing period to invite you to come to the site to pay for your annual subscription if you want to remain listed. We hope that you agree that £10 a year represents excellent value for your listing. You may even have got some bookings or sales already from people who have seen you on Stallfinder. If so, we'd love to hear about it - please drop us a line to info@stallfinder.com and share your experiences, good and bad, with us. Please remember to mention Stallfinder if you're contacting an event organiser or one of our stallholders.

Payment System Testing Progress

2008-05-15T22:16:00.001+01:00

We have almost completed testing out our payment pages for stallholder listings. We will be using WorldPay for processing our credit card transactions. WorldPay are a very large and highly reputable Internet Merchant solutions provider. You can find out more about them at www.worldpay.com. WorldPay are pretty strict about ensuring we comply to their rules regarding Refund Policy, Contact Information and displaying of credit card logos. You'll see all this information clearly displayed when you go to the Add Your Listing page. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Find Events by Month Extended to 2 Years

2008-05-15T22:16:00.000+01:00

We have now updated our Find Events by Month section to include events up to 2 years away. Some of our visitors who wanted to post events to Stallfinder organise them well over a year in advance so we wanted to be able to support them. This will also give our stallholders a very early look at some events and the chance to book in where competition for pitches and stalls is very hot.

Launch Partners

2008-05-14T22:20:00.001+01:00

We now have a Launch Partners page where you can find out more about the companies who we're currently working with - Captain Tortue, Barefoot Books and Miglio. As a result of these companies actively promoting us to their representatives, many of them have now joined Stallfinder so welcome to you all.